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text:
After upgrading from Acade 2010 to 2012 we have a very slow performance with the Catalog lookup and
layout preview of the terminal strip editor.
When one of our 15 users is opening the Default_Cat.mdb with a component Lookup action, a Default_cat.ldb (Record-Locking) file is appering. When this default_cat.ldb is open all of our usere have a 15 sec. delay during there catalog lookup.
After closing of the catalog lookup this .ldb file is NOT disappearing. Sometimes when I close acade this .ldb file will not disappear. Other moments this file dissapear directly when I close the calalog lookup.
When I' am the only user this .ldb file is opening an closing with no problem, but when more users are starts using acade 2102 this .ldb file stay open for many hours.
We have already reduced the size of this Default_cat.mdb file as much as possble, current size 8.2 Mb.
This cleanup of the database don't effect this slow catalog lookup.
When a report is generated this .ldb file is also apearing and is disapearing only when this user performs a catalog lookup.
It is clear that this problem is related to sharing the database with all the users.
We have the same problem with the Footprint_looup.mdb database and the .ldb file. The terminal strip layout preview is very slow.Who can help me with this big performance issue?
Hello leenvanderkooij2867,
Thank you very much for reporting this issue. We have validate the issue in ACE2012, it is reproducible.
So We have logged the issue into our issue system, and will consider a fix in the future release if possible.
Robin Shou
Quality Assurance
AutoCAD Electrical
Autodesk, Inc.
Hi, I have the same problem in autocad electrical 2013. Lookup are very slow and the .ldb don't close.
Any solution for that ?
Until Autocad finds a solution we copy the default_cat.mdb to the harddisk of the PC when the user starts the computer. And change the AcadE catalog path to this file.
If the database is edited during the day, we manualy copy this file and restart AcadE.
Our catalog is also very slow since upgrading from ACADE 2010 to ACADE 2012. I also have to unselect the first manufacturer and sort then reselect the manufacturers that I want to see if I want to see results for more than one manufacturer
If you copy the default_cat.mdb locally you also have to remember to change your file path back before adding parts to the database. This can be easy to forget.
Hi, we have the same problem in AutoCAD Ectrical 2013. Catalog lookup is very slow (15 sec. or even more). Is there any other solution except copy file to the hard disc? It's not very suitable for us because default_cat.mdb are changed many times during a day.
For us the network speed makes a huge difference...if somebody copies something over the network then it is much slower. I would love if Autodesk will come up with a solution to have the database locally but synchronized to the master one on the server on a daily/hourly/weekly basis. I heard about a custom solution but never had a chance to try it yet.
The same thing I have when using network deployment in ACADE 2013.
May be we can put somehow this database to Vault Professional 2013 and work through it? Does it increase performance?
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Why Aion Failed
Well next in my series on why MMOs fail is why Aion failed. Aion is a sad story. Aion was a major success in Korea. In Korea gaming popularity went: Starcraft, Aion, then World of Warcraft. Because of Aion's popularity over World of Warcraft in Korea it was felt it could be a potential WoW killer if expanded beyond Korea's borders. It was first launched in China and then a month later in North America. I should note that Aion had 400,000 pre-orders and an additional 300,000 sales after the first week. This made it a massive commercial success. However after the first month their subscribers dropped below 200,000 and steadily lower than that over time.
So what went wrong?
1. Leveling Model Was Korean, not American
Any MMO that is released in North America is always going to be compared with World of Warcraft. It's sort of odd that all games regardless of their type (even first person shooters, trading games, and RTS MMOs) will get compared to WoW.
In Korea leveling is done via hard grinding. A person is expected to do their dungeon content over and over, or PvP, or in the extreme cases… run around killing mobs.
Compare that to say, World of Warcraft model, where the game is expected to give a smooth leveling path entirely from quests from start to finish.
When you compare World of Warcraft to Aion with that WoW framework Aion is going to lose 100% of the time. It's not a fair comparison. A better comparison might be Ragnorak Online to Aion.
Aion's grind was particularly brutal. I remember hitting Level 20 and saying "fuck this game" (mind my French). At around level 20 you 100% run out of quests and are running around kiting mobs around in hopes that they don't kill you. You are taking drinks every single mob and pushing your way up. If you are on a server that is balanced you have PvP as an option. However if you play a weaker more imbalanced class you'll just end up getting camped.
Basically the grind came down to numbers… and you not having them. If the last level of World of Warcraft is 2M XP and you are getting 10,000 XP per mob kill… imagine Aion being 20M and gaining 2,000 XP per mob kill. It's such an insanely brutal amount that once you reach the XP plateau point (Level 20) you just feel like it's going to be too much.
I do have friends that have level capped at what they told me was because so few other people level capped and since they took months to level cap all they could do (content wise) was run around low level areas ganking people. The challenge of that dies out so what you end up with is a lot of idling.
2. Dinah and the Need For Botting
In a Korean market grinding out a currency makes sense. If you are in a game where you will be constantly grinding all the time then an economic incentive (or enforcement I should say) for doing so needs to be implemented. Aion was very heavy on the need for currency and the ability to generate it. Everything in the game costs dinah… and lots of it. Despite having the ability to fly you need to be shipped off to other places via a teleport.
What this ended up doing was making Aion bots insanely popular, available and effective. People used bots for leveling, grinding gold, ganking people, PvPing, and gathering professions. It was very easy to get an Aion bot and because of that almost half the gaming population that remained ended up getting one to the end of leveling or gaining dinah.
The problem is once the bot is done getting your level cap or getting your tones of gold…. what's really left to do that a bot can't do?
World of Warcraft doesn't have so many bots because quests gave a giant incentive to not just grind out mobs and dungeons offered enough complexity that a bot simply could not do it. In fact the only part of WoW that has bots are battlegrounds specifically because of low responsibility. But are there bots in arenas? Nope.
Aion simply did not have content that was hard enough that a robot programmed to spam 4-5 buttons could not handle. Even the PvPvE was so simple that a bot could be programmed to immediately change target to non-player mobs.
3. Wings Are Not Enough
The game was so well designed (graphically) and players were offered the ability to fly instead of having flying mounts. The wings ended up just being this massive worthless gimmick that didn't do anything at all. The wings had restrictions in so many zones that they might as well just shouldn't have had the wings. Even when you have the wings it feels insanely lackluster as you end up only getting to fly for a few seconds and then landing again. So if my only attraction to Aion is the fact that I get wings… then what's my reason to stay post level 10?
Aion was banking on a concept called PvPvE. This video from Korea is what they were expecting you to do:
So what's happening here is you have tanks tanking the boss while the two sides are doing what any other game would call griefing. The goal here is to try and control or kill the enemy forces while maintaining ownership (tagging) of the boss so you can get credit for killing it. When you look at this it's actually, kinda cool.
But that's not what happened when the game came to North America. No in fact North American players saw this kind of attitude as griefing so as soon as any boss emerged or landed both sides would stop fighting and kill it together. Of course this is nothing new. When Rift was released both sides would always come together to kill off zone wide bosses. The benefits of killing it outweighed the benefits of killing each other.
Trying to make PvPvE work isn't exactly a bad idea, Aion just didn't have a design that leant itself to making people fight each other and raid bosses simultaneously. DC Universe came up with an idea that might have worked (had they not abandoned it so they could quickly launch the game). The idea DC Universe had was instanced 6-man PvP dungeons with trash mobs and raid bosses. You would independently fight through a dungeon each with an NPC ally (Lex Luther or Superman for example). You would each kill 1-2 bosses and get some loots from the dungeon. However the really great loot would always drop off of the last boss which required you to race the other side or defeat the other side. There would be a respawn timer so after killing off all of their people you were left with a few minutes to kill/finish off the boss.
Aion just didn't have a good enough benefits/rewards model to actually do the content.
4. The Game was too Fricking Hard
There is a unique and small gaming market that enjoys playing insanely hard games. When I was in college I bought a game called Ninja Gaiden Black. It was of course an Xbox sequel of an old Nintendo game I had loved. I spent maybe 900 hours on that game before my inevitable decision to quit the game. The game was simply, too hard. One mistake and suddenly you are dead.
Aion in a similar way was probably too hard of a game for a community that is supposed to be "massive." Elitists might say that for MMO veterans this game was easy, while for people newer to the genre it was not.
As an example in most games when you die you have to pay some sort of durability fee. This is a method of the game controlling inflation of currency. If they feel there is too much currency in the game and it's valueless they can just increase the cost of durability for the next tier of content. In Aion you got your normal durability loss but as well you lost a percentage of your XP. XP loss showed up in grey after each loss and I can firmly say I didn't even notice it until after my 8th griefing camping. When I looked it up I found out I was expected to pay ridiculous fees to 'reclaim' my lost XP. Of course I could not afford it and so half a level was lost.
On top of that when you rez you do so at the nearest graveyard instead of being able to run back to where you were. This means that when you die you literally are starting over.
If you're in the 'first wave' of levelers in this game it's not as significant because you can level through PvP and not experience the XP loss in the same way you did from flat out griefing.
But after the first wave is done you are left with a game that has some max rank players and a lot of lowbies who cannot move on.
WoW had a similar problem when it first launched. People who were PvP drawn would camp Tarren Mill because lowbies were there. As a response the other sides guild mates would show up to defend. Hence massive Tarren Mill PvP. However it left people having troubles leveling. A fix for this was to make it so that only people within 5 levels of you counted for honor, guards gave dishonor and the addition of Warsong Gulch so that people would not be in the world killing off lowbies.
Aion simply could not find a reliable fix for this. The game had already been out for a year in Korea. There was tones of time to iron out the these things for the North American market. Instead they just improved the graphics and released it as is.
5. Developers Ignore Gamers
In the first month of a game it's kind of expected that the developers ignore most gamers. This is because there are going to be new people to the genre who really have no idea what's going on. It's much like people who complain about autoaiming hacks their first time playing an FPS because all they can do is take body shots. However when seasoned gamers are giving you criticism and advice, developers… listen.
Aion had probably one of the smallest open beta's to date. People were specifically chosen from a hyper elitist community. They looked for people with the best computer specs or the highest level of raid experience. So obviously when you get results back from these sort of over-engrossing types you will get a positive result. If you create a game for elitists who enjoy grinds and spending massive amounts of time in a game, of course they'll say good things. That is to say if you hand pick a niche crowd specifically for a game you designed for them, they should like it.
In truth it was stated very early on that the game was too grindy. NCSoft just chose not to listen. They saw their success in Korea as an example that the game was fine.
It wasn't until Aion released an expansion that they got the game 'right." By this time it was too late. Like many games that chose to ignore their gaming community creating an expansion with another massive fee attached to it was merely a slap in the face to gamers. It just felt like they were trying to pass their failure off to gamers.
In the end the game shrunk from an audience of roughly 600,000 gamers to a mere 100,000 gamers who are mostly based in Korea. The North American servers reduced down to merging into 8 servers total all of which were low pop. Having 100,000 gamers is still quite a bit however it isn't an MMO that is on the rise, nor can it grow. It's massive failure on launch has left the game with no direction.
Tsi permalink
Nice summary.
I went back to Aion for 1 month to see the 2.5 release and I quit within a week for most of the reasons you mentioned.
What finally did it for me was the lowbie killing in your "home zones". 4+ level 55s killing solo level 20s = bs.
NCSoft should be kicked in the collective nuts.
Acidphase permalink
I'd have to agree with most of all it, but you left out that not only do the devs not listen to the community but their support for in game and plain technical issues is flat out horrible.
The game has many technical issues because of the advanced graphics which is fine for me to figure out and trouble shoot but there is still rather large base of gamers that know nothing about things like Driver updates settings etc..
I was constantly helping people with issues for most just trying to get it installed properly and run the way the Launcher (Mainly the updater for patches cause huge issues) and game layout is setup posed for tons of issues to where I've literally seen people post "Seems like a real cool game to bad I can't get to run". lol
One other thing NCWest is always waiting on new content from Korea and if something is broken they still have to wait from Korea which is sad because they take their sweet time. Yet with this huge underlying issue the next day seems like they had plenty of time to change the website and add more stupid shit to the Game Store lol
When 2.5 hit was supposed to have 64-bit client live , but they didn't set an option for it in game I had to make a tutorial on how to make your game run with the 64-bit client. When I finally got a one of the GM's involved I was informed that there was an issue with the 64-bit client yet it was never disclosed on their site what and why. One of the GM's said we're wasting on a fix from Korea this was during the public test server of 2.5 and here we are now months later with version 2.6 yet no 64-bit client fix?
Oh and what I found out was that MAC users were the ones having problems with the 64-bit client thats it. This is perfect example of what you said the whole time lack of care for the community and suggestions and lack of support.
Aion is unbalanced and broken in so many ways is sad and mostly the Devs fault along with the money greedy producer like NCSoft. It's very sad because it has potential to be a perfect MMO yet they're unwilling to listen to the public.
I can't list all unbalance of the game and it's Technical issues among some created by NCsoft just to nerf something.
I played Aion for quite some time and even with all my time invested into it with end game pvp gear and all sorts of loot I left it anyway so that should say allot.
There's my two cents,
Taeran permalink
Not only you can't even tell correctly the names of the currency and other stuff of the game. It seems like the usual crying from Aion of 2009. Botting? You can level in 2 weeks EASILY from 1 to 50, and another 2 weeks from 50 to 55 by just doing quests, instances (solo and group) and the abyss.
The experience rates were corrected in 2010, if you wanted the "american way". You spend more time leveling in WoW or LotRO than in Aion nowadays. Also, the "kinah" you get from doing anything got buffed up so, if you die you have to pay about 30k kinah, and you get 50k from turning an easy quest.
The wings issue, the more you level, the more you use them.
And the developers issue, you put up a ticket and you get answered before the day has passed. You don't get the "Oh hai, here we are 3 days later answering your question".
So, I'm just guessing you haven't played lately, and you're just saying things that aren't true anymore. And if you want an easy game, just go play World of Pandacraft.
Taeran permalink
Also, 100,000 in Korea?! http://www.incgamers.com/News/20833/aion-tops-internet-cafe-rankings-in-korea
As you know, the korean model of gaming is mostly done in cafés. It's more popular than Starcraft, and that's a LOT to say.
ByeByeAion permalink
I played Aion for 6 months on the 2.5+ version and although it fixed some things it broke just as many, maybe the game isn't as grindy as it was before but you still get ganked and camped just as much. The RNG system is completely Anti-Player, you basically get a slap in the face, kick in the nuts FU everytime you try to manastone socket or enchant anything. To get lvl 55 Abyss gear you need not only AP(Abyss Points) but also Platinum Medals which you get from dailies and which are untradable, not only that you have to grind the AP instances now you also need to do the dailies to be able to spend you AP on lv 55 items. Just now(2.7) they introduced new Anti-Kisking maps basically denying all the best kisk spots players used to use, now most kisk places are in open area spots when any1 can camp them(kisk is a personal movable respawn point).
The best thing they did in 2.7 are PvP Arena maps 1v1, 5v5 and FFA where you can get decent pvp items and don't loose AP, thing is you can only do them 1once a day,can you say WTF?!This game is basically like a Very good teaser for a Very bad movie, you are presented with all the Fun Things you could be doing but then are denied access to them or are presented with ridiculous disincentives to do them. Good bye Aion
ByeByeAion permalink
This is not mentioning the completely 'broken'(anti-fun) crafting system and unbalanced PvP, to get top of the line crafting items you need to sink in 100s of millions of kinah or grind for months and when you do get those mats you get to spend hours on end crafting 1000s of items to either level up or proc and it's just as RNG based as everything else in this game, so you can't do both have PvP, PvE and Crafting because it takes soo much time and effort you have to choose between them.
PvP in Aion is what I would describe as a rock/paper/scissors system, ofc not even mentioning that you can get ganked at any time by some1 who is 20+ levels higher and has a full pvp set to your 'white' pve items or zerged(gang-banged) by a full party, even if you have identical gear and skills it's still possible to get '1-shotted' by the opponent a good stun/fear/root combination will allow him to kill you without you even getting 1 shot at him and this is regardless of gear or skill or even God Stone procs, and even if you do have a more or less 'even' fight it rarely lasts more than 10 seconds unless you have healing classes fight each other, most of the time it's either you 1-shoot some1 or you get 1-shoted your self, there's very little in between, the whole 'fun' part in Aion pvp is dancing on your opponents grave and shouting insults at him not the actual pvp which is mostly a keyboard faceroll
Darren permalink
Alot of things have changed since 2009 with this game. It is very easy to level now. The biggest grind is when trying to gear up at 55. The new arenas and token system are nice for getting gear faster. You get to run the pvp arena once a day which takes 9 minutes. Seems like alot of development for such a short of playtime. There is still no 64 bit client. So you have to use Koreas 64 bit client. Lack of communication to the community. Manastone socketing and enchanting have caused alot of people to quit. There is nothing like trying to socket your gear and have the 6th slot fail losing all your stones. The biggest turn off for me now is way it seems that NCSoft cares so little about the game here in NA. Aion had potential to be a great game but NCSoft killed it.
SethPDA permalink
I read everything you wrote here and I totally agree with you,however I LOVE AION.
IMO it's the most beautiful MMO I've ever seen,however,these "action" which NCSoft made,led the game to it's bottomless pit.
However european AION servers get the title of free-to-play in hope of people will come back and play AION. I really hope so,cuz I really enjoy the game. Of course I wasn't totally new to MMO's,I have beta and even alpha tested a bunch of MMORPGs so I knew how to start with it.
Unfortunatly,we cannot turn back time and tell NCSoft what will happen "if"…
Nice review -
Joe permalink
AION has greatly changed since this article was written. There are more quests than I care to do. When you get to the 3rd zone around level 20-22, you are greeted with huge amounts of questgivers, and at 25 you get another zone with lots of questgivers, giving you more quests than you can do.
As for flyinh, yeah, not being able to fly is most areas is a pain, but the length of flight increases by quite a bit as you level up.
As for the kinah costs…. I don't know where you have a kinah sink. When you die the only thing that you lose is XP (or AP if it is PvP), not kinah. You can spend kinah to recover the lost XP and it isn't much.
The only real issue I have with Aion is crafting. It is really, really boring.
Tamas123 permalink
I enjoy almost everything about the game except for how hard some of the monsters are to defeat. As well as the piss poor amount of health the game gives you and the damage you can inflict upon the monsters. One of the bosses in the game has over 200,000 HP and is at lvl 47 yet even if your character is at 60, the monster is able to kill you in 6 or 7 hits, while you fight, you barely take down 10,000 of it's health in the same amount. It's not even a group quest for crying out loud. It is very frustrating and annoying that the monsters are ridiculously overpowered while you are weak.
Yazeed permalink
excellent review
i was play aion from long time and still play aion .
i did read your review and i realy like it , i understand many points you talk about it and i can agree with must points u mention !i will not add points you already talk about them but i can add few words as agammer still play aion , this game did not look at WoW srsly , beacuse must players that will try aion will be old players from WoW , so you will have people who will compare aion with WoW or other games !
aion is bad in pve , the pve is not that good and the lvling is not cool not mention how was lvling so so hard at begging ( launch time ) you can have custumers at launch time but can you hold them and make them like your product ? this is huge challange we talking about old gammers who spents years playing a WoW or other games , you need to give them some thing amazing at begging with nice content at the end ! aion was realy good Lesson to other companys like Anet
i am not saying aion is so bad game do not understand em wrong guys beacuse i am still playing this game and i like it but even i like it i do see problems and wrongs and i am not a fanboy :)
what make aion uniqe is the pvp
pvp in aion is amazing but even the pvp is amazing , ncsoft did realy realy huge mistakes that affect directly to the pvp ! like :
1- so many hacking
2- making some class so strong wich inflect to other classes who did not recive good skills with new patch !
3- unbalance class
4- OP skills made some calss so OP
5- they open transver whole time and made people move from server to other server with out study wich make must servers in aion is unbalance between the 2 races .
6- the game beacome a manastone game ! some class can built a manastones on the gears made them so so strong and powerfull as temp. that he can increase his dps from the manastones
7- the seige and medals system need to be fix .
8- hard to ench. the gears and socket manastones with end game gears wich make must people go to buy gold ( kinah ) .in fact i am still playing aion beacuse i do like the pvp in aion but that did not let me blind from some wrongs and even i am an aion player i realy can understand your points and review
again , excellent review man and we hope ncsoft learn from this test and prove them self better in next patch and next game ( blade & soul )
so far i see some good changes in 3.0 .
ty every 1
fed up permalink
I played Aion for nearly 3 years. Every now and then, they would throw a bone to those of us that hate PvP, but not very often. The defensive buffs made the game finally work, but now they are gone. The developers caved to the PvPers, who constantly cried about no longer being able to grief others. Note that the buffs never let you kill a ganker, they merely gave you enough defense to have a hope to escape about 2/3 of the time. You still could do no harm to anyone 10 levels or more higher than yourself. Yet still the PvPers whined, and so you can no longer level again. It takes only one high level to completely shut down the low level areas to beginning players. The game is a disgusting disgrace, promoting bullying over fairness, and dishonorable greed over teamwork. When it dies, and it will, it will be for those reasons over all others–greed and dishonor, both from the players and the developers.
Take Another Look permalink
I played Aion at release and quit shortly afterwards for many of the reasons you stated in your article.
However, since the launch of Aion 3.0 last year, many things have changed.
Gaining XP has been doubled several times since the original launch, levelling is no longer an issue. If fact players skip a lot of quests because they out-levelled them before getting to the quest givers. This is not to say Aion is a short game to play, it still takes a lot of hours to get to level 60, but they are questing and not grinding hours now.
PvE now has its own area upto level 55 (called the Fast Track server). The opposing faction can not gain access to this server and PvEers never need to see a human enemy player unless they choose to do so. Players can still play on the Standard server with a PvPvE environment if they wish (very few do!).
At level 55 (5 levels from the current max of 60) you enter maps which have clearly marked PvE and PvP areas. There is actually no need to ever play PvP if you don't wish to do so while levelling.
At levels 55-60 there is a significant amount of PvE content for end-game and this is when most PvPers gear up and start their PvP game, although there is a healthy number of lower level PvPers who like to try their luck earlier. PvP officially starts at level 25, but expect to get ganked by higher levels if you start that early. The lower level players who are itching for PvP tend to get their "fix" by duelling their own faction members of a similar level.
Due to much of the above, and NCSoft changing the strength of many mobs, the difficulty level of the game has decreased considerably. Of course some players now complain that PvE is PvEasy, but those folks could always take on quests meant for higher levels or play in smaller groups if they desire a challenge. No one forces you to take 6 people into a 6 player dungeon, try it with 2 if you want a challenge and reap better rewards.
The population on Aion NA is also very healthy now. It started growing with 3.0 and Free to Play, and saw a large bump following the release, and for many subsequent dissappointment, of Guild Wars 2. There are no issues with forming parties, it takes only a couple of minutes at almost anytime of day for almost any task. Those wondering where a lot of their GW2 Guildies have gone will find them in Aion.
Aion 4.0 has been released in Korea and should be available within a few months in NA based upon the historic time taken to localize updates. Aion 4 has 3 new classes and a lot of additional content (level 65 will be max). Plenty to look forward to for those in the current end-game.
In summary I hated the game just after launch, but today it is a different animal and I wouldn't want anyone reading your article to be put off from trying Aion out. It is not perfect yet (if any game ever is), but NCSoft are finally listening to some of the player complaints and have done a lot to improve the game. A lot of MMO's seem to get it wrong at launch, I believe this one has finally matured and will continue to grow inside and outside of Korea.
Yazeed permalink
i wish you read my respond above it will lead u to some important stuff
as in the ned game yes aion have good end game will make u busy to get the mith – try drop your weapon etc,,but trust me u will end it up just doing pvp
actually i am a pvper i love pvp and only pvp what made me love aion but as i see even in na server some people quit just after getting thier aims done like getting archon gears etc…atm i am a ranger with full gears and best bow in the server and guess what ? i am so bored
i always login pvp login pvp noting ealse no action noting
if u mention that ncsoft start to lession to players i would say u r wrong man .
check the op skills that will come in 4.0 to some class that they already op !
this game is taking the way say pvp and pvp wich will lead to a class will wipe you down just beacuse he is geared and got many advantage skills best examble is sm .. try to 1vs1 sm and u ganna understand my point
do not get me wrong i like the pvp in aion or lets say it is ZvZ now since it is zergy like hell
pvp in aion is taking bad path since aion use to be good in pvp now they taking wrong path man for reasons that i did see them and they alraedy happen and will happen in 4.0
check out chanters in 4.0 they will be a superpower glad with heal
and i think this game will be over geared people who just kill each other in few sec wich will be kinda boring
not metion that this game is been so zergy wich mean no fun at all when u try to have some fun with pvp and face like 14+ foe on your azz
Zyridiz permalink
Aion is now approaching 4.0 release, has adopted a free to play system, and has solved many of the issues you have/haven't mentioned.
TLRoff permalink
I've been with Aion since launch…So much has changed in the game. There are a couple problems still in the game that really needs to be addresses by the Korean Development team. Botting, and Real Money Traders (gold sellers) literally infesting the game on the US and EU servers. Both activities are tremendously disruptive of the game enviorment. On the US servers the majority of us hope that sometime soon they'll be a permanant fix for both of these issues.
. The changes though since the 4.0 release have been substancial. Levelling to end game can be done in a very focused 3-4 weeks or so of "Enjoyable" play. And the cash grind is a Non-issue. You just don't need to grind for cash.but you do have to graind for gear if your going to be competitive. In the new Katalam, and Denaria zones there are so many possible PvP objectives that if you don't like to PvP you can almost always avoid it. At the same time your strongly encouraged to go ahead and grind out the mission content for the better gear so that you CAN be competitive in PvP..
Currently equipment crafting is a bit of a pain with a goodly amount of the craftable equipment just not worth the bother, especially with the requred need to "Proc" (a die roll generation essentially) to craft the very best of the equipment. Crafters would spend millions apon millions of Kinah for materials to make an item, taking days gathering materials only to have it come down to a die roll which if it did not produce the better gear left you with a valueless, worthless piece of equipment.. and even when you did get the better result, there would be fairly reasonably easily aquired gear from instance drops, or PvP play that was markedly superior. None the less to say.. word has gotten around… not many players that interested in the equipment crafting process anymore and for good reason.
Still. It's a much better game now then it was when it launched.. Worth taking a second look. Oh.. and its still one very pretty game.


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Reviewed Lime Chicken and Shrimp Kabobs
Aug 9, 2011 in Food Network Community Toolbox on FoodNetwork.com
"Awful!!! Every one of the reviewers that said the chicken and shrimp taste like chalk when they are marinated for 4-6 hours is absolutely correct. I was embarrassed to serve these to guests. The kabobs are very colorful on the plate, but lack taste. Definitely not worth the trouble to make them. The recipe I printed out goes in the shredder!"""


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JLo quits 'American Idol'
Comment on this storyJennifer Lopez has quit 'American Idol'.
The 42-year-old singer has confirmed her time as a judge on the talent show is over after two seasons to concentrate on other projects, but she insists she would've liked to have continued on the show for the rest of her life if it didn't mean giving up other things.
In an emotional chat with 'American Idol' host Ryan Seacrest on his 'On-Air' radio show on Friday (13.07.12), she said: "Something had to give, something has to give. I was really dreading this phone call with you.
"I honestly feel the time has come that I have to get back to doing the other things that you do, and you have to pay attention to that, too. I could keep doing 'Idol' for the rest of my life, but that would be giving up a bunch of other things. I feel like we had an amazing run."
But Jennifer - who starred alongside fellow judges Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler, who on Thursday (12.07.12) confirmed he will be stepping down from the role after two series - hasn't ruled out returning to 'American Idol' as a mentor next season.
She added: "No matter what you guys need over there, I'm always going to be here. I feel there's that tie there. I just can't be there every day like I was for the last two years.
"It's just one of those special things in your life you don't want to walk away from." - Bang Showbiz
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I have some apple trees that were affected by summer heat last year and I'm trying to figure out if they are dead or still hanging on...capable of sending out at least a stem that can later be grafted onto. Two of the trees are young, planted last year as bare root. The other is an 8 ft Fuji, transplanted 3 years ago from a milder summer area, did real well until last year, now looks bad with vertical(shrivel?) lines on some trunks and stems, some bark cracking, peeling.
I've been cutting back branches looking for green and not finding it. My main question is: can a fruit tree be alive even if it's not showing any green interior when the branches, and trunks, are cut back. Any other ways to tell, other than waiting well into spring to see if any buds or new growth appear. John ps...I also have a Tarrocco Blood orange that has mostly black branches, but two that are still partly green, and a watersprout green branch growing from below the graft. I'm thinking with any of these trees that if the roots are still good and alive, it would be better to graft onto any future growth than to dig up the tree and start over with a new and real young one. Does this make sense? |
Follow-Up Postings:
- Posted by homey_bird (My Page) on Fri, Feb 29, 08 at 0:41
I do not think you need to wait well into Spring. All my live plants have started showing the signs of flourishing. My apple tree is showing buds though no leaves/flowers. I know a dead tree because I have one :-( My fig tree died last year, and it is showing no signs of any leaf sprouting out -- so that IMO is the sign of it being dead. If you examine the buds closely, you should be able to tell (now) that they have no growth. |
- Posted by softmentor z9/sunset13 CA deser (My Page) on Fri, Feb 29, 08 at 15:48
on the apple, if the wood is brown, brittle and snaps, it is dead. You should see some sprouting within the next 6 weeks if it is still alive. citrus, if you want Tarrocco, remove the sprout below the graft right away. It will steal all the strength from the grafted portion, especially if it was stressed last year. If you do not want that variety, you could remove the all wood above the graft and re-graft onto the root stock. I would not recomend digging it up. If you want a tree in a different place, start with a healthy new tree from the nursery. I recomend mulch for fruit trees in CA. a good 12 inches thick for the first 2 years. mulch 2 to 3 feet past the drip line. |
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Showing 1,345-1,440 of 1,666 items
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The Corner Chef
Corner Chef turns a casual meal into a special occasion. Our gourmet delivery menus offers a variety of boxed meals, warm and cold buffets and an assortment of hors d'oeuvres. We specialize in fresh, delicious food delivered on time.
CITY: Evanston
The Book Stall at Chestnut Court
A North Shore institution, The Book Stall is one of the leading independent bookstores in the Chicagoland area. This general trade book store has a reputation for trustworthy customer service, numerous author appearances throughout the year, and a highly popular monthly newsletter with a distribution of 8,500.
CITY: Winnetka
Walsh Natural Health
Visit the most unique natural health store on the North Shore. If you have a need for homeopathy, herbs or supplements while in town or just want to explore aromatherapy, flower essences and more, stop and see us.
CITY: Evanston
Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites
A five star hotel located about 20 minutes from O'Hare Airport and 40 minutes from downtown Chicago. Joseph's Lounge and Bennigans Restaurant located within the facility.
CITY: Elgin
Phoenix Inn
One of Evanston's favorite "cheap eats", Phoenix Inn is located in the heart of downtown and offers a generous menu of traditional Chinese dishes. Delivery within a 5-mile radius. Call 45. min. ahead of last delivery times, which are listed on the website. Online ordering now available.
CITY: Evanston
Stained Glass
A wine bar offering an outstanding colelction of wine by the glass or bottle with a complementary menu. Come find out why this Evanston favorite is at the top of so many people's lists.
CITY: Evanston
Outback Steakhouse - Schaumburg
Offers a casual dining experience with excellent service. The menu includes a variety of dishes including seafood, pasta and steaks. Full bar.
CITY: Schaumburg
Great Harvest Bread
When was the last time you visited a bread store that made everything from scratch? It's the ultimate experience! Owner, Dave Schaps, and his crew start by milling wheat fresh every day at 4 a.m. and baking it into big, beautifully designed loaves. The handmade bread making process allows you to get the best tasting bread on earth. Most of the basic breads are guaranteed fresh for 7-10 days. Specializing in whole-wheat, handcrafted breads made from scratch. There are delicious sweets and treats made fresh daily.
CITY: Evanston
Perspective Group and Photography Gallery
A community-oriented, not-for-profit cooperative that promotes fine art photography through exhibitions, critiques, workshops and outreach activities. The gallery represents the work of fine art photographers from the Chicagoland area, and sponsors LENS, an international, juried photography show on an annual basis.
CITY: Evanston
Specializing in breakfast food, Clarke's serves omlettes, skillet eggs, and their specialty Northshore potatoes. Salads, sandwiches and burgers are all at home here as well.
CITY: Evanston
Flat Top Grill-Oak Park
Flat Top Grill is a create-your-own stir-fry adventure. Choose from the freshest ingredients for create-your-own breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Enjoy appetizers, homemade desserts and our full bar. We accept reservations and welcome large groups. Gift certificates are available.
CITY: Oak Park
The Grille, Oak Brook Hills Resort
DuPage County, Chicago's Western Suburbs - Just steps away from the 18th hole where you can relax and enjoy a light meal and refreshing beverage. Specialty drinks and all-you-can-eat Friday night fish fry
CITY: Oak Brook
McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant
Conveniently located in the heart of the North Shore at Westfield Old Orchard Shopping Center. The perfect spot for an intimate dinner for two or a large celebration for 300 people. You'll love our beautiful mahogany decor and stained glass windows; and with a fresh list and menu that changes twice daily, we are excited to offer you the freshest dining experience.
CITY: Skokie
Days Inn O'Hare West
Business or pleasure, you will be treated to all Days Inn standards such as - Free WiFi high speed internet, free Daybreak Breakfast, Refreshing SolTerre shower experience.
CITY: Elk Grove Village
Rachel Barton Pine at Ravinia
Called "the definition of the ideal musician for the 21st century" by Yo-Yo Ma, cellist Mike Block joins Rachel Barton Pine to chronicle the flow of music from Bach to Bartók to the blues. Bennett Gordon Hall Ticket Price: $10
CITY: Highland Park
Cucina Paradiso
Located off Oak Park's renowned Oak Park Avenue, specializing in classical and modern regional Italian cuisine. Begin your meal with a flavorful antipasto, followed by our famous thin pizzas, pastas, and tempting entrees. Voted by Chicago Magazine as"one of the best new restaurants of the year", and best Italian restaurant in Oak Park by Zagat Publications 2 years in a row. Preferred caterer for the Cheney Mansion and Pleasant Home. Exclusive caterer to 19th Century Club in Oak Park.
CITY: Oak Park
Piazza, Hyatt Lodge
Relish the unparalleled lake views and premier Italian cuisine served in a casually elegant atmosphere with an extensive wine selection from all over the world.
CITY: Oak Brook
Tommy Nevin's Pub
Featuring an all-day, Irish breakfast, hearty meals like Shepherd's Pie and Irish stew, plus healthier options such as raspberry balsamic salmon. There are 17 beers on tap, including Guiness and Harp. If the food and drinks don't provide sufficient Irish spirit for you, check out the daily drink specials.
CITY: Evanston
Bar Bordeaux
Offering an authentic French dining experience unlike any other amid the bustle of downtown Evanston. The wine list features a wide selection of reasonably priced French wines. Serving dinner seven days a week and brunch on Sunday. Winner of the Critic's Choice Award from Time Out Chicago Magazine.
CITY: Evanston
Tatami Sushi
Whether you seek familiar sushi preparations, traditional Japanese cooking or unique and innovative contemporary cuisine that blends Asian and Western cooking styles, their seasonal cuisine, comfortable décor and knowledgeable service will provide you and your guests a dining experience that is both entirely satisfying and highly memorable. Come experience the creativity of urban Japanese cuisine in a soothing ambience by the day and upbeat atmosphere by night. Although sushi is their forte, there are plenty of cooked entrees and appetizers from the kitchen.
CITY: Glenview
Lulu's Dim Sum and Then Sum
The biggest bowls filled with fresh Asian noodles, stir-fry and dumplings all washed down with cold beer or tasty tropical cocktails topped with little paper umbrellas. Confucius says, 'Eat Well, Have Fun, Be Happy!'
CITY: Evanston
Khyber Pass
Established in 1995, a culinary passage through the land of exotic spices and aromas. Received "Four Forks", the highest rating from the Chicago Tribune. Strongly recommended by Sun Times, Chicago Magazine, Where Chicago, etc. Live entertainment and bellydancing on weekends. Lunch buffet.
CITY: Oak Park
Grand Victoria Buffet
If you believe what they say about variety, visit the Grand Victoria Buffet. You'll have an overwhelming selection of entrees, salads and desserts from which to choose. Bring your appetite!
CITY: Elgin
Pleasant Home
Pleasant Home is an architectural gem that showcases 19th century craftsmanship and artistry. Designed in 1897 by prominent architect George W. Maher, the home is a National Historic Landmark and the only Maher building open to the public as a museum. You and your guests will be surrounded by rich custom woodwork, extraordinary art glass windows, intricate woodcarvings, and the glowing warmth of light from another era. The Pleasant Home's 1st floor includes of the Great Hall, Living and Dining Rooms and enclosed circular porch. The front porch is a great addition to the 1st floor during warmer weather. It is perfect for wedding ceremonies, smaller banquets or cocktail parties. The Library is slightly off the beaten path, but is a great place for a buffet station for a cocktail reception. It is also perfect for small lectures of meetings that do not require the use of the whole house.
CITY: Oak Park
Itasca Historical Depot Museum
The Itasca Historical Museum was the original Itasca Train Depot built in 1873. A 1939 Milwaukee Road Rib-side Caboose numbered 01839 was acquired and restored to its original bright orange appearance with all new doors, windows and wood interior. Kids love the interactive train display in the Depot which looks like Itasca in the late 1800's with bells and whistles. Open Tuesdays & Thursdays from 11am-4pm and the 1st and 2nd Saturdays each month from 9am-2pm.
CITY: Itasca
Where Irish Hospitality means that pours and portions are a little more generous. Crowd-pleasing menu selections are varied and unique and the answer Ida,ways O'YES!! Bennigan's American Fare, Irish Hospitality!
CITY: Elgin
Pat's Place
Pat's Place is a traditional diner in every sense with traditional home cooking, great prices and of course friendly service. Newly remodeled.
CITY: Skokie
Courtyard Cafe, Courtyard by Marriott Oakbrook Terrace
DuPage County, Chicago's Western Suburbs - Newly redesigned restaurant, serving breakfast. Enjoy our breakfast buffet or a cooked to order breakfast in comfortable surroundings. American cuisine. Casual dress code. Average cost per meal: under $12.
CITY: Oakbrook Terrace
Oberweis Dairy and Ice Cream Store
Oberweis is an old fashioned family ice cream parlor and dairy store. You can taste the difference in Oberweis milk, ice cream, cheeses, yogurts, cakes and pies. Dine in or take home and enjoy ice cream treats from the fountain menu for the entire family made from our super premium ice cream. Also enjoy the world famous shakes, malts, sundaes, smoothies, coffee drinks and more.
CITY: Gurnee
Sisters Salon
The Sisters Jeanette & Elaine have been practicing the art of waxing for over 30 years and certainly love what they do. Friendly estheticians were trained by the Sisters and regularly update their techniques to give you the best services anywhere. Sisters invite you to come Discover Yourself and experience our one of a kind services for yourself.
CITY: Skokie
Parkway by the Lake Banquets
For many years we have provided the best in wedding receptions at an affordable price. We take great pride in offering the best in service, the most picturesque setting for ceremony and reception, a huge dance floor and food to rave about for months after the event.
CITY: Ingleside
Dixie Kitchen and Bait Shop
Dixie Kitchen "brings the best of Southern delta cooking North". Specialites include gumbo, red beans & rice, and peach cobbler. Don't foret the Dixie beer!
CITY: Evanston
Nick's Pizza and Pub
Our dedicated family provides this community an unforgettable place to connect with your family and friends, to have fun, and to feel at home. Menu includes pizza, soup, salad, sandwiches, and beer.
CITY: Crystal Lake
Westwood Tavern & Tap
The place to be for a warm and fun atmosphere with good food, cold beer and friendly people. Custom beer taps dispense cold beer right at your table. Beautiful outdoor bar and two fireplaces. Fresh sushi, tacos, great burgers and sandwiches - everything made from scratch including our corn tortillas and our freshly ground burgers.
CITY: Schaumburg
Yolo's Mexican Eatery
Family owned and operated Mexican eatery located in Downtown Skokie. Yolo offers a remarkable eating experience and an eclectic menu that changes often and caters to a wide variety of tastes. Traditional Mexican food at its finest. "An absolute gem" rave reviewers on Yelp.
CITY: Skokie
The Curragh Irish Pub
A traditional Irish Pub in Downtown Skokie serving time-honored traditional Irish fare including Guinness Fish & Chips, Corned Beef & Cabbage and Shepherd's Pie just to name a few as well as pub favorites such as hamburgers and sandwiches. Smaller Pub Bites include the Hummus & Crispy Pita Plate, Spinach & Artichoke Dip and Chicken Quesadillas. Watch a game on their large TVs or enjoy a meal and a drink on the outdoor patio.
CITY: Skokie
Johnny Rockets
Johny Rockets is a place where you can sit in a red-padded booth, play your favorite song and eat some good old-fashioned hamburgers and more.
CITY: Skokie
Anyway's Chicago Restaurant & Pub
DuPage County, Chicago's Western Suburbs - Neighborhood restaurant and pub serving classic American fare. The restaurant specializes in banquets from 25 to 75. The bar has been newly remodeled and now offers a screened in porch and an outdoor patio.
CITY: Oakbrook Terrace
Chicago Prime Italian
Locally-owned Chicago Prime Italian is a warm & inviting, upscale casual restaurant. Enjoy the bold flavors & simple comforts of classic Italian fare featuring generous portions & fresh ingredients. Steak, veal, chops, fresh seafood & signature Italian dishes are complemented by the wine & cocktail menu. Seasonal outdoor patio.
CITY: Schaumburg
Hilton Orrington/Evanston
This sophisticated North Shore hotel is a Four Diamond Award winner and a recipient of the 2012 Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence Award. Located in the heart of downtown Evanston, The Hilton Orrington's focus is on superior guest service, and its 269 guest rooms join contemporary style and historic elegance. Enjoy updated modern amenities, including complimentary wireless high speed internet in all the public spaced as well as a variety of dining and lounge options, including Globe Café and the Indigo Lounge.
CITY: Evanston
Celtic Knot Public House
An authentic public house with excellent food, well-poured pints and a worldwide wine list. Regular live music includes Bluegrass Mondays, Celtic sessions Tuesdays, afternoon tea Wednesdays and Saturdays; storytelling monthly.
CITY: Evanston
Tub Tim Thai Restaurant
A family-owned establishment with charm and coziness and very helpful waitstaff. Located in charming downtown Skokie, a trip to Tim Tub Thai offers an adventure of authentic Thai dining at its finest. The menu offers the usual Thai fare--Pad Thai, Tom Yum soup, beef salad -- all the standard Thai fare done superbly with other unique specialties.
CITY: Skokie
Taco Diablo
An auténtico Mexican taqueria and cantina with rustic, art filled decor. Located in Downtown Evanston only steps from Pace/Metra/CTA Purple lines. Eat Tacos-Drink Tequila, Buen Provecho!
CITY: Evanston
Stade's Farm & Market
Stade's Farm & Market is located in scenic McHenry County in northeastern Illinois approximately 50 miles from Chicago. We produce 2,200 acres of crops that range from traditional corn and soybeans to specialty crops including many fruits and vegetables commonly grown in northern Illinois. Through our own farm market, we sell our fresh fruits and vegetables directly to consumers in our local area. Our goal is to provide our customers with the finest quality produce possible.
CITY: McHenry
Bagel Country
Bagel Country is the finest family-style dairy restaurants on the North Shore. Our 25 plus varieties of bagels and diverse menu is sure to offer something for everyone.
CITY: Skokie
Colonial Cafe - Crystal Lake
For over 100 years, Colonial Cafe and Ice Cream has been a family favorite restaurant - satisfying everyone's taste buds. All day, everyday our menu provides delicious options varying from eggceptional breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and ice cream!
CITY: Crystal Lake
Chili's Grill & Bar - Skokie
Chili's has sizzling fajitas, big mouth burgers and yummy desserts.
CITY: Skokie
Bacci Pizzeria
Established in 1996, home of the Jumbo Sliced Pizza and Free Pop! Our pizza dough and sauce are made fresh daily with only the best ingredients and our own recipes.
CITY: McHenry
Prairie Moon
Offering seasonal regional American menu in an award-winning setting with two full bars, outdoor dining, and a large party room in the heart of Evanston. Lunch, dinner, and a late night grill are offered every day, along with breakfast on Sundays.
CITY: Evanston
45 North Barn & Grill
A unique, contemporary and nostalgic restaurant offering food that is created with heart and soul in a 'from-scratch' kitchen. Serving locally grown products, whenever possible, to create great meal choices. From hamburgers to steak, soup and salad, sandwiches, Friday night fish fry, and Sunday's Build Your Own Bloody Mary Bar, there is something for everyone to enjoy.
CITY: Antioch
Mar 29
La Cage aux Folles
La Cage aux Folles has become a classic musical comedy. Set against the glitter of a Saint-Tropez nightclub, a middle-aged gay couple agree to hide their relationship when their son returns home with his fiancée's ultra-conservative parents. Feathers get ruffled and households upended in a poignant tale of one family's struggle to stay together, stay fabulous and above all else, stay true to themselves.
CITY: Lincolnshire
Las Palmas of Evanston
Come and enjoy delicious authentic Mexican fare at a very reasonable price. Stop by Las Palmas for a taste of Mexico.
CITY: Evanston
AOK Gourmet...on the go
From gourmet sandwiches and salads for five to catering for hundreds, we strive to make every experience unique and memorable. Enjoy sandwiches, salads, soups, entrees and more.
CITY: Skokie
Food that is comfortingly familiar, yet excitingly unexpected. Quince serves contemporary American cuisine in the heart of Evanston. Offering an outstanding dining experience in a lively and comfortable setting, all at an approachable price.
CITY: Evanston
Riccardo's Restaurant
Riccardo's Ristorante is a wonderful Italian restaurant with an amazing array of delicious meals. Old-fashioned Italian menu items and daily imaginative specials are sure to please everyone. Menu items are rich and fulfilling. Great place for family get-togethers or grabbing a pizza with friends.
CITY: Schaumburg
Becky & Me Toys
Toys, dolls, games, books, crafts and more for infants to pre-teens. Our carefully-chosen toys encourage active, creative, open-ended play. Our knowledgeable staff can help you select perfect gifts for your special kids and for the kid in you.
CITY: Glenview
Siunik Armenian Grill
With passion for healthy, fresh and authentic Armenian cuisine, Siunik serves hummas, kabobs and Armenian tabuli like no other.
CITY: Skokie
D & J Bistro
This chef owned since 1987 restaurant, offers a great line-up of "True Bistro Dishes", with special menu items available monthly. Offering Daily Specials available "A la Carte" or as a 3 Course Prix-Fixe Dinner. Gluten free, vegetarian and kids menus available. Private room for parties of up to 50 people.
CITY: Lake Zurich
Giordano's Oakbrook Terrace
Pioneer of the famous stuffed and equally renowned thin-crust pizza! Pastas, sandwiches and assorted fresh salads. Dine-in, delivery, carryout, catering and full service bar.
CITY: Oakbrook Terrace
Firehouse Grill
Located in a refurbished fire station, the Firehouse Grill features a variety of entrees, sandwiches, burgers and appetizers. Excellent beer selection.
CITY: Evanston
Took Toom Thai
Great authentic Thai Food! Catering available or host your next private party in this fun atmosphere.
CITY: Elgin
Mandarin Garden
Conviently located at the Central St. "El" station, Mandarin Garden offers classic Chinese dishes.
CITY: Evanston
Coaches' Cafe
The perfect place for before, during or after the game. Menu features a variety of entrees, sandwiches and appetizers. Satellite TV in the bar. No better place to watch the game.
CITY: Evanston
Yolo Mexican Eatery
Family owned and operated Yolo offers a menu that changes often and caters to a wide variety of tastes. Traditional Mexican food at its finest and a recent Bib Gourmand 2014 winner.
CITY: Skokie
Rickshaw Rick's Tours & Taxi
Let us save your soles today! We'll take you for a ride, give you a tour, provide shuttles for your party or even run errands with our fleet of pedicabs (aka bicycle rickshaws). Call us at 773-771-3922 or visit www.rickshawrick.com. Catch us at the Oak Park Visitors Center, Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio, Write Inn, Harvey House, Under the Ginkgo Tree B & B and other fun spots.
CITY: Oak Park
Prairie Moon
Offering seasonal regional American menu in an award-winning setting with two full bars, outdoor dining, and a large party room in the heart of Evanston. Lunch, dinner, and a late night grill are offered every day, along with breakfast on Sundays.
CITY: Evanston
Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse - Oak Brook
The newest Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse embodies the big city dining experience with big flavor, steaks and chops, fresh fish daily, and enormous lobster tails--all matched with an extensive wine list.
CITY: Oak Brook
Nick's Pizza & Pub
Toss the shells of our complimentary peanuts on the ground while enjoying our fabulous pizza and sandwiches. Perfect for families!
CITY: Elgin
Avli Restaurant
"Philoxenia" is the Greek word for traditional hospitality. Here at Avli everyone should feel like they are visiting an old friend. Traditional Greek dishes are done with passion for food.
CITY: Winnetka
Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar
A fun, family-friendly restaurant with a full menu that features award-winning traditional wings, boneless wings, chicken tenders, naked tenders, spun in one of 14 signature sauces. From barbeque to blazin', there's a sauce for everyone in the family. The menu also includes burgers wraps, salads, ribs and more. With a multitude of plasmas and big screen tv's it's the perfect place to watch your favorite team.
CITY: Evanston
Globe Cafe and Bar
Geared to today's business professional and educated travelers who want to keep up with world events. This friendly neighborhood restaurant offers newspapers and magazines, flat screen TVs and media towers located throughout the café, along with high-speed wireless internet. Plus, really great food.
CITY: Evanston
Le Peep Pancake House & Grill
All your breakfast favorites in a relaxing and comfortable environment.
CITY: Evanston
Va Pensiero
Among the North Shore's finest Italian restaurants. Located inside the historic Margarita European Inn, the look here is decidedly Italy in the 1920's. The menu is seasonally inspired with an extensive wine list featuring a nice variety of reasonably priced Italian wines. During the summer, dining is available in the garden terrace.
CITY: Evanston
Merle's Barbecue
Meats are slow-smoked using the greenest hickory wood to ensure the juiciest, most favorable taste. To complement that, a variety of homemade barbeque sauces and other Southern specialities including salads and seafood dishes are offered.
CITY: Evanston
11 - 12
The 12th Annual Buffalo Grove Invitational Art Festival
Currently rated as one of the top 100 art festivals in the country, the festival hosts more than 100 juried artists from around the globe. Art enthusiasts will have the opportunity to watch the masters at work with art demos and booth chats taking place all weekend long! In addition to the work of the 100 juried artists, festival-goers will have the opportunity to view and purchase works from young artists, ages 18 and under, who participate in the Youth Art Division of the festival taking place on Sunday. In addition to the artwork, festival-goers will enjoy live performances from a variety of musical acts, great food and art activities for kids, including an art scavenger hunt and spin art at the festival and much more!
CITY: Buffalo Grove
Pensiero Ristorante
Among the North Shore's finest Italian restaurants tucked inside the historic Margarita European Inn. Pensiero Ristorante serves Italian fare prepared from the finest imported ingredients. The moment you enter the room, you know you are in for a special dining experience. The menu is seasonally inspired and the wine list is sure to compliment your dining experience. During the summer, dine outdoors in the lovely garden terrace.
CITY: Evanston
Ward Eight
An exceptional neighborhood cocktail bar. A menu of creative craft cocktails, unique wines and local beers is accentuated by a menu of small plates. Also offering retail sales, private event planning, and wine and spirits tasting classes.
CITY: Evanston
Golden Olympic Restaurant
This restaurant offers a large, traditional dinner menu with a particular emphasis on Greek specialties. Dine-in or carry out.
CITY: Evanston
E.J.'s Place
Great food, attentive service, and a comfortable north woods-inspired decor make EJ's Place a fine choice for lunch or dinner. The dinner menu leans toward red meat, fish and Italian specialties. Portions are enormous and doggy bags virtually de rigueur.
CITY: Skokie
Wildberry Pancakes & Cafe
Wildberry specializes in gourmet breakfasts, fresh baked breads, panini sandwiches and so much more. Enjoy the inviting and warm fireplace or our beautiful outdoor patio. We also have a private dining room with beautiful French doors and mahogany stained hardwood. Our well trained staff is devoted to you and is always ready to help you out with anything you might need.
CITY: Schaumburg
Prime BurgerHouse
You want a better burger? Than build it yourself at Prime BurgerHouse. Choose from a variety of toppings that range from the traditional to the exotic. Feel like something more intoxicating? Try one of Prime's sexy signature cocktails or specialty beers.
CITY: Elgin
Dame Couture
This custom dress shop specializes in wedding gowns but also makes cocktail and eveningwear for women of all ages and taste. Dame also restyles and reconstructs vintage bridal. The shop's charming vintage atmosphere makes a lovely backdrop for a selection of jewelry by local artisans as well as veils, bags and a few off-the-rack dresses.
CITY: Evanston
Flat Top Grill - Evanston
Flat Top Grill is a create your own stir-fry restaurant. We offer more than 25 ingredients including traditional and exotic fruits and vegetables, a selection of rice and noodles, signature handcrafted sauces, prime beef tenderloin and seasonal offerings.
CITY: Evanston
Macks Golden Pheasant
Mack's Golden Pheasant Restaurant and Lounge has been serving fine food and cocktails since they were established in 1948. Situated in Elmhurst, Mack's Golden Pheasant is a very original restaurant. Many favor the lodge like atmosphere, and the food of course, which is particularly good. Visit and enjoy their history and unique ambiance.
CITY: Elmhurst
Vienna Suites
Temporary living in a residential setting. Fully furnished and equipped one and two bedroom apartments, just bring your toothbrush. Spacious living room, eat-in kitchen, TV, stereo, microwave, full-size fridge. $1,800-$2,100 a month includes all utilities, cable, unlimited local and domestic long distance, wireless internet access. Off-street parking and onsite laundry. Conveniently located near I-290, walking distance to restaurants, shops and Blue Line.
CITY: Forest Park
Le Petit Marche
Recognizing downtown Crystal Lake's need for a gourmet food shop, Le Petit Marché opened in March of 2005, offering not only baked goods but the first and finest selection of wines in the historic downtown area. Le Petit Marché quickly became a favorite gathering place for patrons of the arts (heading to the Raue Center for a performance) and fine food alike. It has continued to evolve and thrive with the passing years, introducing catering services, open microphone performances, specialty wine tastings and more than forty specialty cheeses from around the world.
CITY: Crystal Lake
Flat Top Grill
Create your own stir-fry meal. Offering more than 25 ingredients including traditional and exotic fruits and vegetables, a selection of rice and noodles, signature handcrafted sauces, prime beef tenderloin and seasonal offerings including game and seafood. Also featuring Asian inspired appetizers, homemade desserts, and a full bar featuring Tiki drinks and urban cocktails.
CITY: Evanston
Glenview House
Extensively rehabbed and converted into an upscale American restaurant, bar and whiskey lounge, the Glenview House. Features beautifully presented, upscale American comfort food with French, Italian and Asian influences. The restaurant specializes in imported and craft beers with over 100 different selections available on draught and in bottles. Guests can enjoy lunch or dinner in one of the many dining areas. Seasonal outdoor seating available
CITY: Glenview
Water's Edge, Hyatt Lodge
Versatile casual dining for breakfast, lunch and dinner, including a deli stand, a variety of hot and cold entrees, a grill fresh salad bar and dessert bar.
CITY: Oak Brook
Mcgruder's Irish Pub
Mcgruder's Irish Pub is the hottest new bar to hit the scene in Elgin. Come to enjoy the food and stay for the fun atmosphere.
CITY: Elgin


text:
The study, published in the journal BMC Genetics, available on line April 2, brings researchers a step closer toward tailoring individualized drug therapy for addiction based on an individual's unique genetic makeup.
"This research marks the first time we've been able to identify genes involved in the ability to quit smoking,?says NIDA Director Dr. Nora D. Volkow. "It marks a movement from identifying the genetics of addiction vulnerability to identifying the genetic basis of successful abstinence. This knowledge could impact the success rate of cessation programs by helping health care providers choose the most appropriate treatment based on individual differences.?
Dr. Uhl and his colleagues performed a genome-wide analysis on the DNA of two types of nicotine-dependent individuals, one that was able to successfully quit the cigarette- smoking behavior and one that was not.
"We identified 221 genes that distinguished successful quitters from those who were unsuccessful,?says Dr. Uhl. "We know the functions of about 187 of these genes, but 34 have functions that are unknown at present. We also found that at least 62 of the genes that we had previously identified as playing roles in dependence to other drugs also contribute to nicotine dependence.?
Genes that harbor variants that contribute to both success in quitting smoking and in vulnerability to become dependent on multiple substances include cadherin 13 (a molecule involved in cell adhesion, which governs how cells recognize and connect t
Source:NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse